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NiTEE STATES PATENT Erica.

AUGUSTUS H. AIKMAN, on BROOKLYN, A D eEoReE K. OsBoRN, OF NEW UTREGHI, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO THE NEW YORK KERosENE GAS LIGHT COMPANY, NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC CUT-OFF VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming. part of Letters Patent .No. 268,594, dated December 5, 1882.

' Application filed April 13, 1882. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern Beitknown that we, Aueusrns H. AIKMAN, of Brooklyn. in the county of Kings and State of New York, andGEORGE K. OSBORN, of

. New Utrecht, in said county and State, have jointly invented an Improved Automatic Cut- Off Valve, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to valves for control- Ie ling or directing the supply of fluids, being primarily designed for directing the supply of water to intermittent hydraulic engines and the like, although applicable to other uses. Q It frequently occurs that two or more serv- 1 ices or outlets are supplied from one pipe, and that in case at any time the supply is insufiicient for both one must be given the preference over the'other or othersthat is to say,

that one must be supplied, even if it takes the entire supply and completely deprives the others thereof.

The object of our invention is to provide a simple and effective automatic valve for this purpose.

2 In the accompanying drawings, Figure I" shows our valve and its connections in midsection, and Fig. 2 illustrates the connection therewith of a special form of intermittent preferred service, beinga hydraulic airpump simi- 0 lar to that shown in our Patent No. 237,153, dated February 1, 1881, or, more properly, an air-pump operated by a hydraulic engine.

Let A designate the supply or service pipe leading from a street-main or other supply of 35, water underpressure and dividing into two branches, B and O. The pipe B leads eventually to the preferred service, and thepipeC to the ordinary service, which is, it necessary, to be deprived of water at times.

D is a diaphragm-chamber divided by a flexible diaphragm, (1, into two compartments, one of which communicates with the pipeB through a pipe or orifice, B, and the other of which communicates with the pipe (1 through a pipe or orifice, O. In the pipe G, beyond the pipe 0, is a valve, E, consisting of a cone or disk, 6, mounted on a rod or stem, 0, which passes through'the pipes G C and connects with the diaphragm d, so that the movements of the latter will seat or unseat the cone 0 Beyond the valve E the pipe 0 extends to.

said pipe supplies.

the one or several services or outlets employed, which, for convenience, we will refer to as the faucets of a house.

In the pipe B, between its connection with the pipe A and its junction with the pipe B, is arranged a check-valve, F, consisting of a cone or disk,f, having the pressure of a weight, g, in a tube, 9, or of a spring applied to it to normally force it against its seat. The cone f is notched at h, or else a notch or groove is cut in its seat, or by some other means it is made to leak to a slight extent.

The pipe B, beyond the pipe B, extends to the preferred service, which, for the purpose 6 of illustrating the utility and operation of our invention, we will assume to be a hydraulic airpump, similar to that embodied in our said Patent No. 237,153, a fragment of which is shown. in Fig. 2. For a description Of this pump we would refer the public to that patent, remarking, however, that we have here in Fig. 2 shown the hydraulic cylinder and piston as invertedwith respect to the arrangement shown in that patent, the cylinder being now fixed and the piston moving therein and connected through its rod to the air-bell. V In Fig. 2 the pipe B connects to a pipe, I), which extends to the two valves or of the double-acting pump, but one of which valves is shown. a is a slide or D valve and controls the parts leading to pipes 11 and j. The pipej is an exhaust leading to a waste, and the pipe 1' leads ,to the cylinder, (lettered 7a,) the piston being lettered 1. Connected to the pipe 1' is an air- 8 chamber m.

The operation is as follows: In the drawings the devices are shown in the position assumed when the air-pump or other preferred service is not using water. The pressure from the 0 pipe A is communicated through the pipes B and G, thence through the pipes B and O to the chamber D, where it is equal on opposite sides of the diaphragm d. vThe adjustment of the valve E is such that with an equalpress- 95 ure on opposite sides of the diaphragm it I opens and permits the passage of water through the pipe 0 to the faucets orother service which If, now, the valve a be shifted so as to admit water to the pump-cyl- ILO inder la, the pressurein the pipes B andB and on the upper side of the diaphragm [l is de- The valve 2 ecasoa creased, and the pressure below the diaphragm lifts the latter, so that the valve E is seated and the passage through the pipe 6 closed, thereby directing the entire flow through the pipeB to the pump. To prevent the pressure above the diaphragm then equaling that below it the valve F is provided,which serves, to slightly repress or retard the flow, so that the water will expend a small portion of its power that the pressure in that pipe will be diminished, and by the leakage through the valve F the pressure beyond that valve in the pipes B B will eventually be reduced until it equals the pressure in the pipe 0, and when the pump valve is opened it will effect a still further reduction of pressure in the pipes BB sufficient to cause an upward deflection of the diaphragm and the closure of the valve E; but if, while; water is flowing out through the pipe 0, and" before the leakage through the valve F has equalized the pressnrein the pipes B and O, the pump-valve were opened, it might sometimes occur that the reduction of pressure in the pipes B Bthereby caused would be insuffiw cient to operate the diaphragm, since the opening of the pump-valve does not materially reduce the pressure in the pipe B on account of the resistance which the water must overcome in working the piston i. To provide against this we have furnished the ai r-cham ber m in the pipe beyond the pump-valve a. As the water passes that valve and flows into the pipe t it encounters the resistance offered by the piston l and backs up against the cushion of air in the chamber m, which momentarily relieves the pressure on the water, and this momentary decrease of pressure is sufficient to cause the operation of the diaphragm, for it is evident that as soon as the diaphragm has closed the "alve E the pressure below it must instantly increase, so that any increase of pressure above it which the valve F will admit of will be insufficient to force it downward again. The air-chamber at will be unnecessary in case the preferred service is a mere faucet discharging water into the open air, as in that case the pressure will be instantly lowered by the act of opening the faucet.

If any one of the faucets supplied by the V pipe (3 is open, the flow therefrom will stop when the faucet or other preferred service supplied by the pipe B is opened, and it will be resumed a moment after the outflow'throngh the pipe B ceases.

' The sole purpose of the. valve F is to decrease the pressure in the pipe B beyond it. It may perhaps be replaced by other devices for the same purpose-as, for instance, some obstruction in the pipe to retard the flow, or a leak from'the pipe, as by a branch pipe tapping it.

Although designed for hydraulic use, our

valve is equally applicable to controlling the I flow of steam, compressed air, or other gases.

It will be understood that our device is capable of considerable structural modification without departing from its essential features, and that therefore our detailed description of the precise construction shown in the drawings must not be construed as limiting us thereto. Among other modifications the valve E might be a turn-cock and the stem 0 be jointed to the end of its radial operating arm or handle.

We are aware that the use of diaphragmregulators to control automatically the flow of a fluid through a pipe is common, and we make no claim thereto; but

What we do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows 1. An automatic cut-off consisting of a diaphragm, a fluid-chamber on each side thereof, means for reducing the pressure on one side of the diaphragm, a valve in a supply-pipe] adapted to close the passage therethrough, and

a connection between said valve and the diaphragm, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with a pipe arranged to supply two or more services through two branches, of achamber divided by a diaphragm into two compartments, means of communi-' cation between one of said branch pipes and one of said compartments and between the other branch pipe and the other compartment, a cut-off valve in one of said branch pipes, connected to and operated by said diaphragm, and means, substantially as described, for decreasing the pressure in the other of said branch pipes, arranged therein. between its junction with the main supply-pipe and its connection with the diaphragm-chamber.

3. The combination of pipes A, B, G, B, and O, valves E and F, diaphragm-chamber D, and diaphragm 01, arranged and adapted to opcrate substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of pipes A, B, G, B, and G, valves E and F, diaphragm-chamber D, diaphragm d, a hydraulic-engine cylinder, 76, arranged to be supplied by pipe B, and an airchamber, at, in connection with said pipe, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

A. H. AIKMAN. GEO. K. OSBOBN. Witnesses:

ARTHUR O. FRASER, HENRY OONNETT.

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